


Two

by LintheWriter



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Freedom, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Limited, Pre-Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Slow Burn, Training, Twi'leks (Star Wars), Zabraks (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 12,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24004243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LintheWriter/pseuds/LintheWriter
Summary: On the swamp planet of Nal Hutta, Darth Maul encounters a recently escaped Twi'lek, Nima. Even though she possesses no more connection to the Force than an average person and has almost no confidence in the decisions she makes, Nima begins training with a staff not dissimilar to Maul's own preferred weapon.Nima swears to both herself and Maul that she will become confident in herself, regardless of how long it takes.
Relationships: Darth Maul/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

Deep breaths, she reminded herself. Deep breaths. Stay quiet. Stay alert.

Nima treaded carefully and cautiously through the swamps of the planet. Sighing, she paused and looked around for somewhere to rest. Spotting a fallen tree, she headed over to it and sat on it. She hugged her legs to her chest as she tried to cover her skin. Her detested skimpy outfit was made for dancing in, not running through swamps.

While Nima was sat on the uncomfortable tree, she allowed herself to relax slightly. She was far away from the Hutt palace. Her moment of peace was disturbed by a noise. Not the normal noises of small creatures that lived in the swamps but footsteps.

As quick as possible, Nima scrambled to her feet and searched for somewhere to hide or to run. But she’d never be able to run through the dense thicket and trying to sneakily climb a tree didn’t seem like a good idea if she was trying to be silent.

She considered running through the bushes and moved to do so but then she spotted the person who had made the noise. Gulping, she stepped away from him and felt a branch scrape against her legs.

“Who are you?” he asked as he stepped towards her. Nima realised he may be a bounty hunter sent after her. She would have to tell him a false name. “Well? Can you speak?”  
“Shiri,” she replied quietly, still anxious that he had been sent to search for her.  
“What are you doing out here, Shiri?” he asked, stepping closer again.  
“I…” Nima took a deep breath again and reminded herself to be careful. “I’d rather not say.”

The two shared brief eye contact before Nima broke it and looked at the floor.  
“You’re a Zabrak, right?” He nodded.  
“And you’re Twi’lek.” She could grab the knife she had stolen from the guard but it might be too suspicious of a movement and she had no idea how fast this person was.

Nima stared at him for a few moments at a time. He was dressed in black robes with a black belt. Black tattoos were etched into his face and a lightsaber hilt was hung on his belt. He could be a bounty hunter with a stolen saber but they usually wore armour. The person in front of her had none. She glanced at him once more before deciding that he couldn’t have been sent after her, otherwise he would have captured her and taken her back to the disgusting Hutt by now. He might be a Jedi, they were supposed to help people, right?

“You seem awfully quiet,” he said.  
“I’m not actually Shiri. That’s not my real name,” she blurted out. She wasn’t sure why but she had the feeling lying to him wouldn’t make anything better. “My name is Nima. That’s… that’s my real name, I promise.”  
“Then why tell me a false name?” He didn’t seem upset or angry at her for lying, just curious.   
“I thought you were a bounty hunter.”  
“I’m not part of that scum,” the Zabrak said. Nima let out a sigh of relief.

Then she had a thought. Perhaps he could take her off this stupid world and away from the people who had enslaved her.  
“Could you help me?” she asked.  
“Help you?” he repeated. “What would you need my help with?”  
“I want to get off this planet,” Nima said. Her hatred of Nal Hutta was evident through her words. “I want to get away from the Hutts, as far away as possible. Could you help me do that?” He seemed to think about it for a second before nodding once. Nima smiled as a thank you and anxiously stepped forward.

Nima followed the Zabrak through the swampland and to a large ship and stared up at it. She hadn’t seen a ship that big in ages but… what was a Jedi doing on Nal Hutta with a large ship? What was a Jedi doing on Nal Hutta in the first place?

“Are you a Jedi?” she asked. The red-skinned man turned to look at her but didn’t answer. “I’m guessing that’s a no then. So are you a rogue Jedi?”  
“No.” Nima furrowed her brow and nervously shuffled away.  
“What’s your name then? I told you mine.”  
“Maul, Darth Maul.”

Sith.


	2. Chapter 2

Nima took a step away from him and looked at the ground.  
“I thought the Sith died or something like that,” she said. “Or that they were something parents tell their children to get them to behave.”  
“Evidently, we did not die.”

“So, what do the Sith want from Nal Hutta?” she asked quietly, almost worried what the answer would be.  
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” said Maul. Nima was thankful he didn’t lash out at her for asking questions. Somehow, standing a few metres away from an apparently dangerous Sith was better than being a slave.  
“Are you going to hurt me or something? I’m just a slave dancer.”  
“Former slave dancer,” corrected Maul. “Who managed to escape the Hutts. And as long as you don’t reveal or attack me, I see no reason to harm you.

Anxiously, she looked back up at him and noticed he was boarding the ship via a ramp at the side. She smiled to herself as she trailed behind him, glancing over her shoulder every so often as paranoia was still ingrained in her mind. There was still a chance that a bounty hunter could find her. As she tried to push her paranoia away from the forefront of her mind, Nima stepped off the ramp and into the ship properly.

“Where are you going to take me?” she asked, hoping he would answer and hoping it wasn’t anywhere where there were slaves. But she received none. Maybe he was a bounty hunter, not a Sith. “Is this your ship?”  
“Yes, it’s my personal ship,” he replied.  
“I don’t think I’ve seen a ship like this before,” she said. It gave her memories of being taken aboard ships to dance for the Hutts and other repulsive creatures in league with them; memories she would prefer to forget. “Did you buy it like this?”

“Do you enjoy irritating people with questions?” he snapped. His yellow eyes stared at her and she gulped.  
“Not usually.”  
“Then do you just enjoy irritating me?” he growled. Subtly shuffling away, Nima looked down.  
“I was never allowed to ask questions,” she told him. “Can you forgive me? Please? I don’t mean to be irritating.”

Maul glanced at her, his eyes shifted from her face to the brown collar around her neck then to the skimpy outfit that clung to her body and revealed as much skin as possible. He looked away and focused on the ship’s navigation system instead.

The ship rumbled as it began to take off. Nima rushed to the nearest viewport and stared out. With a smile on her face, she watched as the swampy land of Nal Hutta grew tiny. The palace in the distance looked like it could fit between her thumb and finger; she didn’t realise how far away she had run. As she stood by the viewport, a fluttery feeling made itself known.

A while later, she saw the entire planet. Maul must have put the ship on autopilot mode as he walked over and watched her, intrigued by her reaction. She glanced at him but then looked back at the planet she detested.  
“I never want to look at that planet again,” she said. Her voice was quiet but filled with hatred.  
“You don’t have to, you are free,” said Maul. Biting her lip, Nima could finally name the sensation she felt.

Freedom.

“I’m not a slave any more,” she said with a smile. She laughed a little as she realised. “I’m not a slave. This is… oh, this feels weird. I don’t remember being free. This is… overwhelming, actually. I might pass out.” Using her hand to prop herself against the wall, she stared at the vast darkness of space. Part of her was still scared that he was a bounty hunter, not a Sith, despite Sith being 

After a few minutes, she anxiously turned to Maul.  
“I know you don’t like me asking questions,” she started. “But please, could you cut off this collar? I’ve seen the guards do it.”  
“With what?” he asked. Nima patted her sides until she found a small knife. It had moved since she had tried to hide it.  
“I stole it from a guard when I escaped. They can cut through it, I’ve seen them do it before,” she said as she held it out to him.

Maul took it from her and stepped closer. He said nothing while he carefully slid the knife under the collar. Nima kept as still as possible so he didn’t cut her and watched his arm move as Maul pulled the tiny blade towards him. The material ripped and dropped down, resting on her shoulders. Nima took the knife from him as she grabbed the collar with her other hand.  
“Thank you,” she said while looking down at the useless collar. Trembling slightly, she turned away from the viewport and sat down, clutching the collar in her hand and the knife in the other.

“Are you injured?” Maul asked, she had been standing up and she said she might pass out. He didn’t want to deal with an injured Twi’lek.  
“No, no. I’m fine.” she said quickly as she dropped the collar and put the knife away. It fell on the floor and she kicked it away. The red-skinned Sith walked over and stood beside the chair, observing her reaction. She looked up at him, still smiling. “Thank you.”  
“For what?”  
“Freedom.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Is there somewhere you wish to go?” he asked. Nima looked at the floor and shrugged.  
“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “I have no idea what the galaxy is like.” Maul stared at her for a moment before leaving her alone.

Maul’s ship landed on a planet she could never have dreamed of. He instructed her to follow him and she did so, following him off the ship and onto the planet. It was beautiful, vastly different to the swamp planet she was used to, with the sun high in the sky.

Hearing the sound of running water, she looked around and saw a waterfall behind some trees. Meadows of grass could be seen in the distance.  
“Where are we?” she asked.  
“You don’t need to know the name of this planet,” he said as he began walking. Nima walked close behind him. “You will be staying here for a while.”  
“Is there any reason why?”  
“Bounty hunters.”

Nima nodded, that made sense. She felt a little trapped here. She had no ship, no way of leaving.  
“What if I want to leave?” she asked. Looking behind her, she could see his ship.  
“Then I’ll let you leave, if that’s what you want,” said Maul. He glanced over at her before focusing on the path ahead. “There are bounty hunters after you but not for many credits.”

She wasn’t sure how she should feel about what he had told her. Nima didn’t doubt the amount of credits she was worth, she had just been a slave dancer, nothing particularly special and not even particularly good. Just good enough to get by.

“And if I choose to stay?”  
“You’ll only be here temporarily, then you can get out of my way,” he said. Nima kept following him through the trees, she wasn’t able to see his ship anymore but she did her best to remember which way it was in case she needed to run.  
“What do I do after that?” He stopped in front of her and Nima cowered slightly.  
“You really do enjoy irritating me with questions, don’t you?” he growled.

Unsure on whether to apologise or stay quiet, Nima just looked down at the grass. It was the most vibrant green colour she had ever seen. It looked strangely… soft.

“Do you want to see where you’ll be staying?”  
“Yes,” she said, lifting her head up. Maul was staring at her. “Thank you.”

Where she was staying was a small hut, hidden away in the forest. It had one bed, a small fire area where food could be cooked, a small wooden chair and table and a small cupboard. There were windows which let in the bright sunlight.  
“You can stay here,” said Maul. He seemed to be watching her reactions again.  
“Thank you,” she said again, smiling as she walked around the one room cabin. It wasn’t much but it was more than she could remember having, even if it was just temporarily.

Nima looked over at him but seeing his neutral expression, she looked through the windows, there was a lake in the distance. She would have loved to go down to it and sit on the soft grass by the water.

“Look at me,” Maul said. Not harshly but Nima flinched anyway. Still, she turned to look at him.  
“Why?” she asked.  
“When you leave here, it will be suspicious if you cannot look at people,” he said. “Especially if you are dressed like that.”

Nima looked down at her clothes. She had figured people didn’t dress like how she was dressed. She was dressed as she was because it was more appealing to the Hutts, not for comfort or practicality. They were rather dirty and she did want clothes that covered more skin, she was sick of showing skin to impress the Hutts, or anyone else that visited them.

“I can get new clothes, can’t I?” she said, trying to resist looking away from him. “I could work for them or something.”  
“I doubt you’d like the work they’d offer you,” he said. Nima frowned, more dancing work. And she wasn’t particularly good, just good enough to get by. “And I doubt you’d get away with stealing.”  
“I’d rather not steal,” she said, thinking of what the guards did to other slaves who stole things, food, clothes, drinks. She shook her head a little, she was glad she hadn’t gotten caught when she stole the knife. “I guess I’ll have to find another way.”

Maul said nothing and just watched her again. It was slightly unnerving, the way his yellow and red eyes watched her every movement. It wasn’t like how the Hutts and their visitors watched her, those eyes were predatorial and filled with lust. While he was more predatorial, being a Sith, he watched her like he was thinking of something. She could only hope the idea benefited her.

“I will leave soon, for a day or two, no more,” said Maul. “I will leave you with some food before I go. Try not to get lost while I’m gone.” Nima nodded and thanked him again.


	4. Chapter 4

Darth Maul was true to his word. He left her food and she didn't need to cook it. He joined her in eating some of it as the sun set. He said that the meat would be safe to eat, despite it being cold, for the next few days, should she keep it inside.

As soon as it was dark outside, Maul stood and pulled the lightsaber from the table to his hand with the Force. Nima watched in awe. He truly was a Sith, he could use the Force. He attached the saber hilt to his belt before leaving.

Nima watched the door shut and walked over to lock it before turning to look at the fire. It was now only a few glowing embers, nothing that would catch fire. Turning to the bed, she climbed under the blankets and closed her eyes.

The bed was better than she was used to but Nima tossed and turned in an attempt to get comfortable. Part of her was terrified that a bounty hunter would storm through the door and take her back to Nal Hutta, despite being far, far away from the wretched planet. Still, it made her heart race and the fear didn’t vanish even though she was no longer near the planet.

Pulling the blankets tighter around her shoulder made her feel a little better, no one could take away the blankets or the bed. Bed and blankets had been reserved for only the favourite slave dancers and Nima was certainly not one of them.

And yet, she couldn’t sleep.

On the table, where Maul had put his lightsaber, was the knife she had stolen. It was a little too far away to grab, even when she was leaning over from the bed. It was annoying, the knife was too far away for her to grab and defend herself with, should she wake up to someone storming into the hut.

Reluctantly, she moved from under the warmth of the blankets and grabbed the knife. She could hide it underneath the pillow. Then, if someone entered who wasn’t Maul, she could use it against them. If Maul entered and he had decided to harm her, she doubted she’d have any chance of evading him, he was a Sith.

Even with the knife under her pillow, her sleep was restless.

Groaning, Nima rolled away from the window. Despite the window's small size, the bright sunlight had managed to wake her up. For a minute, she wasn’t sure where she was, only to remember the events of the previous day. Rubbing her eyes, Nima reached underneath the pillow for her knife. Holding it tightly in her hand, she pulled the blankets off her with her other hand.

Cautiously, she walked towards the door, unbolted it and pulled it open. Nima stepped outside and walked around the hut. There was no sign of the Sith that had brought her to the planet, he had not returned yet. There was also no sign of anyone else either. Satisfied that no one would interrupt her, Nima headed back inside, shut the door, bolted it shut and returned to the meat. He had said the meat would be safe to eat for a few days with whatever he had done to it.

Nima tried not to eat too much, she needed it to last for a few days since she didn’t know when Maul would return. Once she had finished eating, Nima headed down to the lake she had seen the day before.

The water was incredibly clear and she could see some fish swimming in the deeper water. She hesitantly put her hand in the water, it was cool. Pulling her hand out, it seemed fine. The water was safe.

After double checking that there was no one around, Nima carefully removed her clothes, set her knife on top of them, and headed into the water to clean herself. She hadn’t realised how much she had needed to bathe. That was one thing she was more accustomed too. Sometimes the people they were dancing for wanted clean or cleaner slaves.

Nima felt more comfortable in the water as she bathed and watched the sun rise higher in the sky. When she was finished, she grabbed her knife and wandered around the edge of the lake as she dried off. As soon as she was dry, she returned to her clothes and slipped them back on.

Hearing her stomach rumble, she headed back to the hut to eat more of the meat that she had. It was odd, being able to fetch food to eat whenever she was hungry. But she liked it. Food couldn’t be withheld from her because of her dancing either. Maul didn’t seem like the type of man to do such a thing, especially after all that he had done for her so far. Unless he expected something in return for what he had done so far.

Once she had finished eating, Nima decided to wander around the lake more, if she kept close to the edge, she wouldn’t get lost when she reached the trees that were on the other side.

After she walked around the lake, Nima lay down in the hut. The door was bolted shut and she had managed to start a small fire. Her legs ached a little, she wasn’t used to walking such distances. Nima ate a little more of the meat and though it tasted dry and bland, she couldn’t bring herself to complain, even if it was to no one but herself.

The small fire was dying and Nima had nothing to fuel it with. She didn’t want to head outside to find wood in the dark so she decided it was best to sleep. With the knife under the pillow, Nima pulled the blanket over her and closed her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Gasping for air, Nima held the knife tightly in her hand. Her eyes adjusted to the dark as she clutched the blanket in her other hand. Her heart pounded in her chest and her eyes darted around the room.

There was no one there.

No one to attack her.

She was alone. Entirely alone on an unfamiliar planet because of a Sith she had encountered.

Nima could feel the sweat on her skin as she trembled.

Why was she so scared?

She was no longer a slave, no longer a slave dancer for the vile Hutts. She had no one to tell her what to do. When Maul returned, she could leave and start a completely different life as a singer or a bounty hunter or even a cook or pilot.

Nima wasn’t sure why she was still shaking, there was nothing to be scared of, nothing to be worried about.

She let go of the blanket to rub her eyes, she was so yet there was a fear of sleep. If she slept now, someone could get in the hut and kill her, or worse, take her back to Nal Hutta. Nima was defenseless against anyone who wanted to attack her. All she had was a knife. She had no training, no technique, no idea how she’d even evade blasters or lightsabers. Just a knife to wield against any enemy.

She was fairly sure there was no one nearby to even attack her during the night. She had seen no animals in the forest other than a few small birds and the fish from the lake could attack her. Nima was fairly certain that Maul didn’t want to be disturbed by any locals either which made it even more unlikely that anything or anyone would attack her.

Still shaking, Nima checked that the bolt on the door held it shut. She looked through the window and couldn’t make out anything moving other than trees in the darkness of night. Not knowing what else to do, Nima climbed back into the bed and pulled the blankets over her, despite her temperature rising from the fear.

Closing her eyes, Nima managed to calm herself enough to fall asleep.

The sunlight through the window woke Nima from her sleep. Opening her eyes, she immediately felt tired. Sighing, she closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the handle of the knife, which had relaxed while she had been asleep. Maybe she could sleep for a little bit longer, there were no masters to wake up for on the new planet. The only person she would wake up for was Maul, not only because he was a Sith Lord but because he had helped her.

With a groan, Nima sat up and walked across the small space to grab some more of the meat. She ate it with the blanket wrapped around her and with the knife in her lap. As she ate, Nima wondered about the forest behind the hut. While she had explored the very edge of the forest by the lake, she hadn’t explored behind the hut. She was more likely to get lost there.

Nima stood and put the blanket on the bed nicely so it covered the mattress beneath. Then, with her knife in hand, she unbolted the door and headed outside. After a few steps, she recognised a familiar Zabrak.

Darth Maul had returned.


	6. Chapter 6

“You’re back,” said Nima. Maul continued walking towards her.  
“I am.” She moved so he could walk inside the hut and smiled to herself. She was glad he was back. Her lekku moved to mirror her feelings as she stood in the doorway. Holding the knife with a reverse grip so it wasn’t pointing towards him, she watched him grab some of the food.

“You haven’t eaten much.”  
Nima’s eyes widened as she glanced at the food. “I haven’t?” Maul said nothing as he looked at her, maybe he wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m not exactly used to eating too much.” She couldn't look at him, she felt oddly ashamed.  
“Look at me,” he said. Hesitantly, Nima lifted her head and looked at him. His striking yellow-red eyes stared at her. “This will last us maybe a day or two longer than I expected but you should try to eat more.”

Nima just nodded. He was right, she did need to eat more. She was used to eating the small amounts that she was given. Some were rewarded with extra (but not too much because some were deemed more attractive when they were thin) and some were punished with less food. Nima had received less food a lot of times for not dancing well enough. She just needed to remind herself that the food wouldn't be taken away from her.

“Maybe I’m just scared that I won’t get food later,” she said. “That I’ll run out before I can get more food.”  
“I can provide you with food easily,” said Maul as he stared at her. She couldn’t tell what he was feeling, she hadn’t seen many Zabraks, maybe one or two. Not enough to know how their body language correlated with feelings. “You do not need to worry about that.” Nima looked away from him again, his eyes unnerved her a little.

“I have something to show you, on my ship,” he said as he took some of the food. He ate it quickly, as if he hadn’t eaten anything since he left.  
“You do?” asked Nima, a small smile spreading across her face. “What is it?”

Maul didn’t answer, instead he grabbed more of the food before pushing past her and heading off in the direction toward where his ship had been before. Assuming his ship was there again, Nima set the knife down on the table and began to follow him, pulling the door closed behind her and hoping it wouldn’t reopen. Maul had no reason to hurt her and he could easily protect them from any attackers.

Close to where she had been sitting before was a bag. Maul gestured to it and Nima hesitantly walked over and opened it. Inside were a few bottles of spices. The spices were on top of fabric. Curious, Nima took the spices out and set them aside. She pulled the fabric out and held it up. Clothes. They were far less revealing than the clothes she was currently wearing and they oddly looked a little better fitting.

“You got all of this for me?” she asked, turning to look back at the red Zabrak. He nodded once. “Thank you.” He said nothing in response as she put the clothes back in the back and put the spices on top of them.  
“The bag is yours too.” Nima smiled and put the black bag over her shoulder.  
“Thank you so much,” she said, her hands resting on the bag.

Nima tried on the clothes in the hut while Maul wandered off into the forest. He said he would return before dark and she trusted that he was telling the truth. He had returned before, she was sure he would return again.

Nima wished she could see what she looked like wearing the new clothes. They were a little better fitting than her other clothes. They were a lot more comfortable and they were made of a softer fabric and it looked easier to wash and keep clean than her other clothes too.

After eating food, Nima sat on the bed. She wore her old clothes again, she had decided to sleep in them and save the new clothes for the daytime. The door swung open as Darth Maul walked in. The door shut and locked behind him without him even touching it. Without saying a word, he grabbed food and proceeded to eat it as he sat down.

“What do you want from me?”  
Maul froze and turned to her. “What do I want from you?”  
Hesitantly, Nima nodded. With his attention on her, she felt rather nervous and looked away. “People always want something when they have given me things. You have given me food, somewhere to stay, clothes, you helped me get away from Nal Hutta. What is it that you want from me?”  
“I want nothing from you.”

“So you’re just being kind?” asked Nima, looking back at him. “Sith aren’t known for being kind.”  
“You interest me,” said Maul.  
Nima’s eyes widened, she wasn’t expecting him to say that. “I'm interesting?”  
“There is… something different. And yet you are not Force-sensitive.” Nima furrowed her brow and her lekku mirrored her feelings as they tensed and twitched. “Other than that, I am not sure why. Besides, you should sleep.”

Maul stood and then sat on the floor with his eyes closed. Not sure what else to do, Nima lay down and pulled the blanket over her. It was dark now but she couldn’t sleep. There was the fear that she would wake up anxious and panicked. She couldn’t even close her eyes.

Noticing that Maul was now lying on the floor, she felt a little bad. He had given her a lot of things so far and yet he was sleeping on the floor. His robes were in a pile under the table, leaving him only in trousers. Nima pulled the blanket off of her and lay on the floor next to him. Despite the lack of light, she could make out the red of his skin and the black tattoos on his chest.

“What are you doing?” Maul sounded irritated.  
“I, uh, I felt bad about being the only one to sleep in a bed,” she stuttered. He turned his head to look at her and she looked at him.  
“You will sleep in the bed.”  
“Then so shall you,” she insisted. He had said about confidence so she would stick to what she said. Or, at least, she would try to. Maul stared at her and this time, Nima didn’t look away from his yellow and red eyes.

Then, Nima stood and Maul quickly did the same. She looked up at him, still standing by what she had said about them sharing the bed.  
“Go on then,” he said. Nima smiled to herself and got back into bed. She shuffled over and Maul lay next to her.  
“Thank you,” she whispered as she closed her eyes.

Oddly, she felt a little more comfortable with the prospect of sleeping. She still dreaded waking up in fear but she had less to worry about with Maul to protect her, it sounded like he wasn’t going to let her die any time soon. Nima smiled to herself.


	7. Chapter 7

Her fingers clutched the fabric of her shirt. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest. Shaking, Nima looked to her right and saw that Maul was still asleep. Part of her was glad he was still asleep, the other part selfishly wished he was awake. Perhaps he would know what to do, though she doubted it. She doubted a Sith Lord would wake in the night, panicking over being stuck in slavery and with no way of defending themselves.

She tried to breathe, it didn’t feel like she could breathe. Her lekku were nervously wrapping around each other, she was too warm and while she wanted to leave, there was also the urge to hide. Nima wasn’t sure how she would even manage to get outside without disturbing Maul. She couldn’t even get to the knife under the pillow. Then she remembered she hadn’t put it under the pillow, she had left it on the table earlier.

“What are you doing?”

Nima flinched at the sound of his voice. She looked at him, eyes wide. She could see his yellow eyes watch her in the dark.  
“I uh…” she stuttered. She just wanted to hide now more than she could ever remember. Why couldn’t she just speak? “I woke up, had a nightmare.” Maul tilted his head slightly and then sat up straight. Slowly, his hand reached out and rested on her shoulder. Her eyes stared at his outstretched arm and her hand rested on top of his.

“I don’t want to go back there, I can’t go back there,” she whispered, her voice breaking. Maul glanced at her hand on top of his before looking back to her face. “But I wouldn’t be able to stop them, not if you left again.”  
“Has this happened before?” he asked. His voice was quiet and nothing like the way he spoke when he first met her in the swamp. Hesitantly, she nodded and managed to stammer out that it had happened the previous night.

“No bounty hunters will get you here, we are in wild space.”  
“Wild space? So they can’t find us?” Her hand moved from on top of his.  
“No. And if they somehow did manage to find us, I doubt they’d be competent enough to defeat me.”  
Nima looked down. “But what about when you’re gone? When you do your Sith duties, whatever they are, you leave. And I’m alone.”

Maul moved his hand from her shoulder to her cheek. She didn’t flinch away. Instead, she looked him in the eye. He had told her that her nervousness might give her away.  
“They will not find you here.”  
“But if they do?”  
“They won’t.”  
“You can’t promise that,” she said, shaking her head slightly as she spoke.  
“I’m a Sith Lord, I don’t make promises.”

Of course not. He was a Sith Lord and somehow he’d managed to take in an escaped Twi’lek.

“Why did you even help me?”  
“Would you rather I had killed you?” he asked. “Or returned you to your old masters?”  
Nima shook her head. “No, I’m glad. I appreciate it, I do. But I don’t understand.”  
“I’ve told you already. You’re interesting and other than that I don’t know why.” Nima looked away from him, remembering that he had given her the same answer before they both headed to sleep.

“No one will find you here,” he said, moving his hand away from her cheek. She looked back to him and realised she had stopped shaking so obviously.  
“But when you’re gone, I can’t even defend myself.”  
“I won’t be leaving again for another few days,” he said and Nima was glad he wouldn’t be leaving so soon. “And this planet doesn’t even have a name, not many people know of its existence. You will be safe.”

Nima nodded. This planet was so unknown that it didn’t even have a name and from what she knew, there weren’t many maps of Wild Space.  
“I’m safe here,” she whispered, mostly to herself. Maul nodded once and she nodded back. “I should sleep.” Nima lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes. Thankfully, she had stopped shaking completely now and her heart felt a little more steady. Maul lay down next to her a few moments later. Closing her eyes, Nima let sleep take her, knowing that she would be safe for now.


	8. Chapter 8

When Nima woke the next morning, she was slightly disappointed to find that Maul wasn’t there. His clothes and his lightsaber were also gone but the door was locked. Nima changed into the new clothes she had been gifted before grabbing the knife and heading outside.

The sun was bright and there was a stronger breeze than there had been over the last few days. She walked down to the lake, looking for Maul despite the hunger. It wasn’t hard to ignore it but he had said he wouldn’t be leaving for another few days.

Stopping halfway to the lake, Nima turned and noticed a strange shadow by the trees. She walked back towards the little hut and noticed Maul was sitting in the shadows of the trees. It looked as though he was meditating and Nima realised it was something Sith Lords might do. Deciding not to disturb him, she headed back to the hut to eat. She had no reason not to. As she cut herself some slices of the meat, she remembered what he had said about not eating much and cut another two. Two more slices seemed reasonable to her.

Looking at the bag she had also been given the day before, she pulled out the small jars and examined them. She recognised two from when she was younger and watched her mother cook. They were relatively cheap spices from what she could remember and it made sense to her, her mother was struggling to provide for them both. After tasting a tiny bit of both, she confirmed that they were the spices she thought they were and set them aside, she could remember watching her mother cook with them.

The third jar contained small leaves and Nima took one out and put it in her mouth. It tasted strange and a little bitter. Not sure what to do with it, Nima sprinkled some on top of the meat and tried it. Her face contorted at the weird taste but ultimately decided that it wasn’t horrendous.

The fourth and final jar contained something powder and light brown in colour. It tasted sweet and Nima wasn’t sure what to do with it. Maybe it was like the two spices she knew, she could always find out. As she put the small jars away, she carried on eating the meat Maul had cooked a few days ago, it still tasted almost exactly the same as before.

The door opened and Nima turned to see Maul in the doorway.  
“I have a proposition for you,” he said as he walked over. Nima finished the last of the food before standing up.  
“What is it?”  
“I could train you to use a staff, perhaps some other weapons as well. I will provide you with the weapons and you may keep them, either to use or sell,” he explained.

He watched Nima, waiting for a reaction. Her face was relatively blank for a few seconds until she realised what he was suggesting.  
“You want to teach me how to fight?” she asked with wide eyes. Maul nodded. “Why?”  
“You mentioned not being able to defend yourself,” he said. Nima smiled, she had said that to him but she had never expected him to offer to teach her how to fight.

“What do you want in return?” she asked. She was used to everything having a price, even if everything else didn’t, surely this would. Maul seemed like he didn’t know how to respond. Either that or he was scared of how she would react to his price. But Maul wasn’t the fearful type so she doubted it was that.  
“Nothing,” he said.  
“So I can say no and I can leave? Or I could start and change my mind and that’s it?” she asked.  
“Yes.”

“Would I have to stay here?”  
“It would be easier and preferable but if you wish, we can find somewhere else suitable for training where the Jedi cannot find us,” he said. Nima nodded and thought it over. It wouldn’t be much more than she was accustomed to. Training to use weapons would be difficult, especially with a Sith Lord as a trainer.  
“I’d prefer being here,” she said quietly. It was quiet and far away from any people or bounty hunters.

“Are you accepting my offer?” he asked. Nima looked him in the eye and smiled.  
“Yes.”


	9. Chapter 9

Yet again, Maul wasn’t there when she woke the following morning. Thankfully, she hadn’t woken during the night. But they were down to the last scraps of the food and while Nima had been trying to eat more, she felt guilty for doing so as now they had less food.

Nima left the little hut and stopped as she saw Maul carrying two wooden staffs. It seemed like that was what she would be learning first. She walked over to him and he handed her the shorter of the two staffs. With one end on the floor, the staff was the same height as her. Maul looked conflicted for a moment but then twirled the staff.

“These will do for now,” he said. “They are made from a strange plant in the forest but they seem strong enough.” Nima just nodded, not sure what else to do.  
“What am I going to learn?” she asked.  
“I will teach you how to block first.”

Maul demonstrated the four different blocks, though they were also similar and didn't seem too difficult to learn. Until she tried.  
“Keep it closer to your body,” he said, watching as she tried to do it again. His brow furrowed as he watched and demonstrated the first one again. Nima tried to copy it but it just didn't seem right. “Move your left hand inwards.”  
Nima stared blankly at him. “How far?” Maul muttered something before sliding her hand a few inches towards the centre of the staff.  
“Hold it out in front of you.” Nima did as he instructed. “Your want to keep the staff split into roughly equal thirds.”

He then directed her how to stand and told her to do it again. While it was better, it was not great. She repeated it until Maul found it satisfactory and then they moved to the next block where the same thing happened. Maul would show how to hold the staff, the proper stance and then Nima would repeat until Maul deemed it good enough.

When the sun was above them, Maul let Nima rest. Her arms were aching, covered in sweat and she was sure that if she didn’t sit down soon, she would simply collapse.  
“Is there food left?” asked Maul.  
“Not really,” she said, looking down at the floor. It reminded her of her guilt for eating so much.

“Can you cook with those spices I gave you?” he asked and Nima nodded.  
“Yes, I’ve saw my mother cook with two of them before, I’m not sure about the other two,” she replied, quickly adding: “But I can probably figure it out.”  
“Put these in the corner, start a fire, I will return.” Maul gave her his staff. She wasn’t sure what wood they were made of but they seemed sturdy enough. Nima wasn’t sure what to say but she nodded and turned to head to the hut.

She rested them both in the corner, leaning against the wall at an angle. Kneeling down next to where she had set a fire before, she started to make a fire.

When Maul returned, the fire had been lit and Nima was sitting on the edge of the bed. What he held in his hands was once a small creature, it had been skinned. Nima had discovered there was a cutting board, a grill and a sort of pan. She cut away the fat and put it in the pan on top of the grill. Then, she cut the meat into small chunks and put them in the pan. A little more searching in the cupboard and she found another knife.

After a while she added the spices and stirred them around in the pan, remembering how she had sat on the table and watched her mother cook. There were no plates as such so she supposed she would eat it from the pan. It did mean there was less things to wash afterwards.

“You seem to know what you’re doing,” said Maul. Nima flinched as she added a little more of one of the spices.  
“Um, yes,” she said, nodding. She had forgotten he was in the hut with her, for some reason she had thought he had headed back outside. Apparently not.

Deciding the food was finished after tasting one of the chunks of meat covered in spices, Nima took the pan and set it on the floor. She waited for it to cool a little before starting to eat it. It wasn’t quite like what she remembered her mother’s cooking to be like, she was sure there were more spices than this, and the small creature tasted off but nice. It wasn’t like anything she had tasted before.

“Do you want some?” asked Nima. She realised she had cooked a lot more than she had expected to eat. Maul stared at her, he had eaten the remaining scraps of meat before she had even started eating.  
“You don’t want to eat it?”  
“I do, it’s nice,” she said. “I haven’t tasted spices in a long time but… this is a lot more than I could hope to eat.”

Hesitantly, Maul nodded and Nima passed the pan and knife to him. He disregarded the knife and picked up the food with his hands. She waited anxiously for his judgement on her cooking.  
“It is nice,” he said finally.  
Nima smiled. “You like it?”  
“I do, but I think you deserve to eat what is left,” Maul said as he handed her the pan back. “You did cook it.”  
“Thank you.”

Nima was happier than she expected after he had complimented her cooking. She hadn’t had the chance to in years, she missed it a little. At least now she had the time and the freedom to do so.

“You may rest for the rest of the day,” said Maul as he stood and headed to the door, lightsaber in hand. “Pushing you any further would be pointless today.”

Nima nodded and smiled to herself. She could never have expected this would be her life now.


	10. Chapter 10

Nima spent the next few hours lying down, her body was tired so easily. It was probably because she hadn’t eaten much as a slave and her only exercise had been dancing. It wasn’t much and neither had Maul’s training, but for her malnourished body felt tired.

Maul had also hit her a few times when she hadn’t managed to block quick enough. They had been sharp and hurt but she knew it was part of how training would be. She was going to get injured a little but as she improved, she hoped she would get less injured.

Still, Nima liked the training. She already felt a little less hopeless if she had to fight someone. She could at the very least attempt to block, or dodge. She had quickly learned to dodge some of the attacks that she knew she was too slow to block.

Once she had rested for a while, she walked along the edge of the forest. Exploring where she knew she wouldn’t get lost. She made sure that she could always see where the trees stopped and the fields started. It was strange that it was so clearly defined, she had been far more used to the swamp land of the planet she had been a slave on. Even if this world was strange, at least she was free.

Nima wondered about Maul. She had no doubt that if she asked to leave, he would let her, but she had no idea what he would feel about it. It was hard to tell what he was feeling sometimes. Would he be upset if she wanted to leave? He imagined he would be irritated since he had said it would be more awkward to train her how to fight on another planet. Maybe there were bounty hunters after him too, he did say he was a Sith. Did bounty hunters try to hunt Sith? Nima wasn’t sure. She didn’t really know much about the Sith other than they weren’t supposed to exist any more, but Maul did exist and she believed he was a Sith.

She wandered back to the hut as dark clouds gathered in the sky. She wondered if the rain was the same on this planet. Was it dangerous? Some planets had acid rain. Surely Maul would tell her if that was a risk. She reached the door just as a few drops of water landed on her. It didn’t burn. It just seemed to be normal water. Nima wasn’t sure if it was disappointing or not that the rain was normal.

Maul wasn’t inside the hut and she couldn’t remember seeing him outside. Where had he disappeared to?

A few minutes later, the door opened and Maul walked in. He pulled his hood down and then revealed a pouch filled with berries.  
“This is all I can find for you, the animals won’t come out before it rains.”  
Nima’s eyes widened. “For me? You aren’t having any.”  
“No. I don’t eat them,” he said as he held the pouch out. The berries had been washed.  
“Thank you,” Nima said as she smiled. Maul removed the cloak type clothing he wore and hung it over the chair.

As he sat down, Nima bit the berry.  
“These aren’t poisonous or anything?” she asked. She knew that her species could eat a lot of things, but not everything.  
“Shouldn’t be,” he replied. Nima nodded and ate a few more. She held one between her finger and thumb. It was like a squashed green sphere. It tastes a little bitter and she wasn’t fond of the taste but it was food, and it was better than nothing.

She continued eating and she was thankful for the rain hitting against the roof as it broke the silence. It grew louder, hitting the roof of the hut with more force.  
“How long will it rain for?” she asked.  
“A few hours,” he said. Nima nodded. A few hours of staying inside wasn’t the worst, though the hut was rather small. Maul wasn’t the worst company to have, she was used to being in cramped quarters with other slaves and this was far better, even if the hut was small. 

“Thank you, for training me,” she said.  
“You thank me a lot.”  
“Because I’m grateful,” Nima said. She knew she thanked him a lot but it was because she meant it.  
“No one has thanked me that much before.”  
“Is that because no one has needed to or is it because you’re a Sith?” she asked. Maul gave her no answer and simply stared at her. “Well, I am grateful. You’ve done a lot for me, maybe more than you think or realise.”

Nima finished the last few of the green berries. She didn’t feel sick or ill after eating them, and hopefully she wouldn’t in a few hours.  
“I’m going to sleep,” she announced. She was tired and the steady rain was oddly soothing. She changed clothes and then climbed into the bed, under the covers. “And you can still sleep in the bed rather than the floor.” Maul nodded and she rolled onto her side, careful not to lie on her lekku.


	11. Chapter 11

She grabbed the blanket that covered her with her hands, scared to open her eyes. If she opened them, she feared she would be back there.

She wasn’t.

She wasn’t back there in the horrible clutches of slavery.

“What is it?”

Maul.

“I… I had a nightmare again,” she admitted. “I thought I was… I thought I was back on Nal Hutta, as a slave.”  
“You’re not a slave now.”  
“No,” she said. “But I have been for a long time.” She had been a slave for almost as long as she could remember. Her few memories of living with her mother was the only reason she knew she was sold into slavery and not born into it.

“How long?”  
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I was seven, I think. I can remember being with my mother for my seventh birthday but not my eighth. She sold me into slavery, it’s not uncommon for parents to do that so children don’t have to deal with the harsh conditions on Ryloth.”  
“She sold you into slavery to protect you?” he asked. He didn’t sound convinced.  
Nima nodded. “Yes. She didn’t have to worry about feeding me. She sold me to a rich woman who wanted a handmaid. I was promised food, decent clothes and somewhere to sleep. And it meant my mother didn’t have to worry about feeding two people.”

Nima recalled living as a handmaid. Despite the strict and exhausting routines, it had been far better than when she was a slave dancer.  
“And you were seven?”  
“I think so. I don’t really remember when my birthday is any more.”

Maul frowned and Nima looked away from him, seeing him frown made her feel worse.  
“I'm sorry, you probably don't care about any of this so I'll-”  
“No, continue,” Maul said, interrupting her. “If you wish to do so.”  
Nima quickly nodded her head. “I was trained to be a good handmaid by a human girl, she was a teenager. Very pretty and very clever. Her name was Lexia. She taught me how to dance and how to dance with a metal pole. We slept in the attic and the poles were used to keep up the roof, she had found out that she could do all of these things years before and taught me.”

“How did you end up becoming a slave dancer for the Hutts then?” he asked. Nima laughed a little, even though it wasn’t very funny at all. It was more of a nervous or awkward laugh.  
“When I was dancing, I fell and it woke up someone who ended up coming upstairs to see what was going on. They ended up finding out and at first they didn’t do anything,” said Nima.

She closed her eyes and her lekku twitched as she remembered the slaps she had received for waking someone up. She felt foolish, thinking that was all the punishment there would be. “A few months later, I was sold to the Hutts, after I trained a new handmaid. The lady didn’t like adult handmaids for whatever reason anyway and I was nearly an adult. And thus began my slave dancing. It was only a few years ago, I was seventeen and I think I’m about twenty one now.”

Nima fell silent and watched Maul for his reaction. Her lekku nervously wrapped and unwrapped around each other. He watched her lekku move for a few moments before speaking.  
“I am not much older than you,” he said, somewhat softly. “I am somewhat curious what your dancing is like, you must be fairly athletic.”  
Nima shrugged. “A little bit,” she said. Maybe it would help with some of the training, though she hadn’t seen much of Maul’s fighting skills outside of the training. “I’d hoped not to dance again but perhaps I could make an exception for you.”

Maul didn’t reply and Nima realised she felt much better. Their conversation had distracted her from the nightmare she had.  
“I don’t know where you’ll find a pole for it, but if you do, I’ll dance for you,” she said. There was a hint of a smile on his face and she considered that good. He wasn’t the type to smile and be friendly, but she didn’t mind. “I think I should try to sleep. Goodnight.”


	12. Chapter 12

“Lift your head up,” he said. Nima glanced up at him but her eyes returned to the ground. “Keep your head high, you do not want people to push you around again, do you?”  
“No,” she said quietly. Maul lifted her chin up, forcing her to look at him.  
“You need more confidence.”

“Head up,” he reminded. Nima cautiously held her head high, still not used to doing so. “Good.” Maul struck her ribs with his staff and she yelped.  
“What was that for?” she asked, stepping away from him as he twirled the staff.  
“If that was my saber, you would be dead,” he said. “You need to learn to block.”  
“I know how to,” she said. But she wasn’t quick enough. Her reflexes would never be as good as his, he was Sith and could use the force.  
“Then do it.”

Maul tried to strike again but this time she blocked it, saving her from a strike that would likely leave a bruise. She managed to block the next one too.  
“Focus on your opponent, if you look down you cannot see what they are about to do.” Nima nodded and focused on Maul. He had a habit of pretending to move to strike her and then changing halfway to do it a different way. It was easier to notice his eyes moving to where he was planning on changing it too.

He was right. She had to focus.

Nima continued blocking Maul’s strikes with a little more success. Eventually, Maul called an end to the training. She stared and the dark coloured bruise that had formed on her arm. It was sore to touch and she could only hope it would disappear quickly.

Nima had made a sort of sauce with the bottle of… something which she didn’t recognise and had spread some onto the meat after it had been cooked. Cautiously, she bit into it. It was hot, far hotter than most spices she was used to, but she decided she liked it. And as long as it didn’t cause any problems, she’d happily continue to make a sauce with it.

“Do you want to try some?” she asked, offering it out to Maul. From what she had gathered, he only ate meat, but she was curious what he thought of her experiment. He stared at her, and then to the food, before taking a small piece. He ate it in one bite, and didn’t chew it for long before swallowing.  
“It is not to my taste,” he said, noticing her eager expression. “But it is better than a lot of food I have tasted.” She smiled, watching as he ate the remainder of the piece he held in his hand. He hadn’t been too fond of it, but he had said it was just his opinion. And he had also said it had tasted better than some of the food he had eaten.

Nima continued eating her food, feeling a little better that he appreciated her limited cooking skills even if he wasn’t fond of it.

Yet again, she lay next to Maul in the small bed. She still didn’t mind and she still refused to let him sleep on the floor.  
“I hope you don’t have a nightmare,” said Maul. Nima turned to look at him.  
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I get that they’re probably irritating.”  
“It’s not that,” he said. He didn’t find them irritating? “I just hope you don’t have any.”  
“Oh, thank you,” she said, smiling even though he couldn’t see her in the dark. “I hope I don’t have any either.”

Nima closed her eyes and shifted to get more comfortable.  
“Goodnight,” she whispered. She didn’t get a response but she didn’t mind, she was too tired to care.


	13. Chapter 13

The bruises were sore and took several days to heal. But as she learned, she blocked better and quicker. She only had one dark purple bruise on her thigh.

The training continued, Maul seemed surprised at how quickly she learned.  
“How do you do those fancy spins?” she asked. He paused.  
“The spins?”  
Nima nodded. “Yes.” He stared at her for a moment before he spoke.  
“I’ll teach you a few, you’ve been learning quickly.”  
“Thank you,” she said, smiling. Her lekku seemed to twitch with excitement. “Lexia used to say the same about dancing.”

“Hold it out with one arm,” he instructed. Nima let go of the staff with one hand and held it in her left like Maul did. “Are you doing that because I am? If you prefer your other hand you can use your other hand.”  
“I don't know which hand I prefer,” she said quietly.

Maul quickly looked away and focused on the staff. He would have preferred to use his saber but hitting Nima with a stick was far better than slicing her with his lightsaber. He slowly spun the wooden staff in front of him, using both hands and let Nima copy him. After a while, he sped up the spinning so the stick was only a blur and after a few blunders, she managed to get to the same level.

Maul stopped and watched Nima speed up a little more.  
“There's also this one,” he said as he demonstrated another, more difficult way to spin the staff. Nima paused and watched with wide eyes.  
“How are you doing that?” she whispered in awe. She then declared she wanted to try and Maul slowed down his actions by a fraction.

After a lot more mistakes and blunders and accidentally hitting her arm or wrist with the staff, Nima managed to slowly spin the staff in a more complicated way. Maul allowed himself to smile slightly at the Twi’lek.  
“You're improving,” he said. “That's good.”  
“Yeah?” As Maul nodded, Nima smiled, her eyes lighting up from happiness. She switched between the spins, growing more fluid and smooth as she did so.

They returned to blocking and how to stand properly. Maul seemed surprised at how quickly she was picking things up, though Nima was sure his expectations were skewed due to the force, or her lack of being able to use it.

Like the days before, they finished training before dinner. Maul claimed that training her afterwards would not make her better, just tire her out too much. Nima smiled as they ate inside the hut.

“I will have to leave in a few days,” Maul said. “For a few days again, but I will return.”  
Nima frowned but nodded. “Alright.”  
“I assume you will want to rest while I am away.”  
“No,” Nima said. “I’ll continue practising. It might not be as good but… well, there’s not much else to do.” Maul was silent for a moment.  
“Very well then. I’ll show you some spins you can practise with blocking if that is what you want to do.”  
Nima nodded. “It is.”

It was quiet for a moment and Nima moved to sit on the edge of the bed as she ate instead of the floor. It was far more comfortable.  
“I’ll show you them tomorrow,” he said. Nima smiled and nodded.  
“Thank you.”


	14. Chapter 14

Maul had shown her the things that she needed to practice while he was away. He had fetched some meat for her and shown where there were berry bushes should she run out of meat. They weren’t too far away and she doubted she would get lost, even though they were in the forest.

It seemed lonelier without him there. Even though there had only been the two of them, at least in this part of the unknown world, now she was alone. She didn’t know if there was any other intelligent life on the planet. Even if there was, she doubted she’d be able to understand and communicate with them.

She had the same routine as she had with Maul. She would eat, train, eat more, explore or sit around or bathe while he was gone, and then eat a little more before sleeping. It was only for a few days but they seemed to drag out.

Her nightmares were scarier now she was alone, but she could fend off anything that was small. Anything large or wielding a blaster would be far more difficult to deal with and survive.

Still, nothing happened. No bounty hunters landed and tried to attack. No one at all had found her in the little hut. Nima wondered if Maul had made it himself or if someone long gone had made it and Maul had just found it.

While eating her food, Nima added spices to it and remembered to eat more than she normally would. When she ate more, she was hungry less and she had to remind herself that the food wouldn't be taken away. It wouldn’t be removed or denied as punishment. And Maul had said that she should eat more. It probably wasn’t healthy to eat so little, but she had no desire to eat lots all at once. Maybe that was for the best.

She knew Maul wasn’t fond of the spices and was sure to leave some of the food unspiced. It was eaten last, in case Maul returned while she was eating. She knew it was probably strange to do, but she didn’t care. The least she could do was set some food aside for him in case he came back and it wasn’t wasted either.

Maul returned a few days later in the morning while she was eating a breakfast of berries. She would have offered him some but he only ate meat.

“How was your trip?” she asked as he sat on the stool.  
“Dull,” he responded. “I do have something for you again.”  
“You do?” she asked, her eyes widening. She liked the gifts he had given her last time and Nima was eager to discover what she had been given this time. “What is it?”  
“You’ll find out once you’ve finished eating. They are back at my ship.” Smiling, Nima finished the berries as quickly as she could.

The ship was where it always was, some distance away from the small hut. It was as clean as always and she wondered if he cleaned it or if he paid others to clean it for him. He retrieved something wrapped in a dark blue fabric. Nima thanked him as he handed it to her and she pulled the blue fabric from around it. The soft fabric fell to the floor to reveal a blaster. It was silver in colour and could be easily held in one hand.

“A blaster?” she asked, looking at him. He nodded.  
“I said I would teach you how to fight and a blaster is a good weapon. This one is known for its accuracy,” he said. Nima’s smile widened. “But you have missed my other gift for you.” Nima furrowed her brow, her lekku moving and mirroring the confusion she felt.

Looking down at the fabric, she picked it up. There was nothing else it could be since there wasn’t anything else that was new from what she could remember. As she picked up, she realised it had been folded awkwardly into quarters and amongst it was a pin. It fell and suddenly it made more sense. It was a cloak with a silver brooch to fasten it.

“It’s nice,” she said, turning to Maul. “And soft too, thank you.”  
“I thought you could do with more clothes,” Maul said. Nima smiled and nodded as she fastened it around her.  
“I suppose I could, but thank you.” Maul had the hint of a smile on his face.


	15. Chapter 15

Nima wore the dark blue cloak as she trained. Maul always wore his Sith robes so she figured she could learn to fight while wearing the cloak. She finished her lap around the lake, it had taken a lot longer than she had expected it to. But now she could learn how to use a blaster and practice with it before returning to practising her blocks with the strange stick.

“This cloak is a little distracting,” Nima said as she watched it as she twirled. “But I want to get used to it.”  
“You like it then?”  
“Of course I do!” she exclaimed with a smile on her face. “I’ve never had a cloak before.” He had the hint of a smile on his face again.  
“It was a good gift then.”  
Nima nodded. “All of your gifts have been brilliant.”

Maul seemed content with the answer and started teaching her different ways of striking her opponent, making sure to point out which ones would not work with a lightsaber. Nima quickly decided that she preferred this to shooting with the blaster, if only because she was better with the stick.

Eventually, they returned to practising with the blaster after eating lunch since it was far less tiring. It was frustrating. She was far worse at it.

“You have only started using the blaster today,” said Maul. “You will not be good at it.”  
“But it’s just so different,” she sighed. “And I know if I practice I’ll get better, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating.”  
“You’ll have to learn to not get too irritated with it and yourself,” he said. “My anger and frustration fuels me, but they impede you.”  
“So how do I deal with it?”

Maul stared at her and then motioned for her to follow him. She did so and found herself in a spot she hadn't expected her to be standing it.

It was where Maul meditated.

Somehow it felt like she was intruding. This seemed to be a spot that much meant to him.

He sat down in front of her, cross-legged and gestured for her to do the same. Nima sat, crossing her legs and waiting patiently for instructions.  
“My meditation allows me to focus my anger and frustration, to let it enhance my strength, agility, and my connection to the Force,” he explained. “You are not Force-Sensitive. And you do not lean towards the light or dark from what I can tell.”  
“Is that a good thing?” she asked.  
“I can't tell yet,” he replied. It seemed to be an honest answer.  
“Alright, so what do I do?”

“Close your eyes and focus on your anger. Acknowledge it, acknowledge why it is that you are angry.” Hesitantly, Nima closed her eyes, not sure if it would work for her when she couldn't use the Force.

But she was angry, and frustrated. Mostly with herself. She had been rather average at everything but with the strange staff, she had seemed to learn quickly. Why couldn't she learn as quickly with a blaster? Surely that was supposed to be easier.

“Is this anger temporary?” he asked.  
Slowly, Nima nodded. “Yes.” She would improve if she trained, she knew that. So, with time she could be just as good as with the weird staff. “I can get better.”  
“You can,” he said and Nima smiled.

She could get better.


	16. Chapter 16

Meditation quickly became a part of her daily routine. She would meditate in the morning, like Maul did and then they would train. First with the blaster and then with the staff after lunch.

It took quite a few days for her to notice any improvement with the blaster. Nima wasn't sure exactly how many days, since she hadn't bothered trying to keep count. Maul somehow always knew what day it was though he wouldn't say how he knew.

“I told you that you would get better with practice,” he said. He had a smirk on his face and Nima huffed.  
“I knew I’d get better,” she protested. “But it doesn’t mean I can’t get annoyed at it.” Maul chuckled and she found herself smiling.

After eating again, they stayed inside, listening to the patter of the soft rain on the room. The sun was beginning to set and Nima changed into her old, more revealing clothes to sleep in. she pulled the blanket over her.

“You haven’t had nightmares lately,” he said as he pulled some of his clothes off, leaving him shirtless and only in trousers. Feeling her lekku twist around each other, she tried to ignore them and she frowned and shrugged instead.  
“No, but I have been having bad dreams.”  
“Bad dreams?” he repeated and she nodded.  
“Yeah. Not quite a nightmare but not exactly good either,” she said. Some of them had included bounty hunters finding her in different places, her childhood home, the attic where she slept as a handmaid and the swamp of Nal Hutta.

“So you aren’t waking up?” he asked as he lay down next to her under the blanket.  
“No,” she said. She wasn’t sure if it would have been better if she had woken up from them, Maul provided reason when she was panicking. “I think I’d prefer it if I did though.”  
“Why?”  
“It’s easier to calm down if I wake up, and when I go back to sleep, I don’t really dream about anything, not anything bad, at least,” she explained. “If I don’t wake up, I don’t have any good sleep.”  
“It makes sense.”

Nima smiled a little, glad that her explanation had made some sense to him. He wasn’t the type to lie just to be kind. He didn’t seem to be the type to lie in general, and a Sith showing kindness was surprising to her.

It didn’t take too long for her to fall asleep but quickly, her dreams of home turned dark. Her thrashing was interrupted as she stared up at the ceiling, breathing heavily.  
“Wh-what?” she looked to her right, expecting to see Maul asleep as she usually did when she woke up. But instead, he was sitting upright and was looking at her.

“I could sense that you were having a bad dream.”  
Nima furrowed her brow as she sat up. “Oh.” How did he sense that she had been having a bad dream?  
“You said you sleep better if you wake up.”  
“Yeah,” she said slowly as she nodded. “I didn’t expect you to remember that. Thank you.” Maul just nodded slightly and Nima smiled, despite how dark it was.

It was strange, knowing that Maul had remembered such a thing.  
“You should sleep,” he said and she nodded.  
“Yeah, I should, shouldn’t I?” Nima said as she lay back down, pulling the blanket over her. Maul lay down next to her. “Thank you, again.” Closing her eyes, Nima smiled again, though this time her smile was definitely to herself.

The daylight shone through the window of the cabin and Maul was part way through dressing when she opened her eyes.  
“Oh, um,” she stuttered, looking away as he turned to look at her, still shirtless.  
“Did you sleep well when you went back to sleep?” he asked as he finished dressing. Nima nodded.  
“I did, thank you, again. I mean it.”  
He smiled slightly as he picked up his saber and attached it to his belt. “Then your training should go even better.”


End file.
